Punjab CM Mann meets Kejriwal in Tihar Jail in Delhi

This was the second meeting between the two chief ministers at the prison complex since the Delhi chief minister’s arrest in March

Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may silence Arvind Kejriwal by arresting him, but “they cannot silence his thoughts”.

Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann leaves Tihar Jail after meeting Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday. (ANI)

Mann’s statement came after he met Kejriwal, the Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener, at Tihar jail on Tuesday — the second meeting between the two chief ministers at the prison complex since Kejriwal’s arrest in March in connection with alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy 2021-22.

“Arvind Kejriwal asked me about Delhi and the country. I said I have come via Gujarat, and the AAP is getting a mind-blowing response in Bharuch and Bhavnagar (the two parliamentary seats in the western state where the AAP has fielded candidates)… People all over the country are saying that they (the BJP-led central government) were to arrest Arvind Kejriwal. I told him that they may think that by putting one person in jail, they will silence the voice of the party… They may silence Kejriwal’s voice by arresting him, but they cannot silence his thoughts,” Mann said, while speaking to the media outside Tihar jail.

Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 in connection with alleged irregularities in the excise policy and is currently in judicial custody at Tihar. The AAP has dismissed allegations of wrongdoing, and has said that the arrest is “politically motivated” and “is part of a conspiracy to crush the AAP”.

Despite being lodged in prison, Kejriwal has not stepped down as chief minister, and the AAP has said that no existing laws bar a sitting CM from holding office in case of an arrest, unless the allegations are proven and the person is convicted.

Speaking of his meeting with Kejriwal, Mann said that he informed the AAP convener about his campaign visit to Assam. “He (Kejriwal) asked me to come to Delhi and take campaigners from Delhi to Punjab. He further told me that wherever there is a programme of the INDIA bloc, be it in Assam, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, or Bihar, our leaders must attend. Kejriwal said this election is not an election to be won or lost, it is an election to save the Constitution and democracy,” Mann said.

He said that their meeting was held across a glass window. “Perhaps they have decided in their mind that we will not allow them to meet directly,” the Punjab CM said.

Mann also said that Kejriwal’s health is much better, and that he is regularly getting insulin and routine check-ups.

The BJP did not comment on Mann’s remarks.